Slate Roofs in Bethlehem, PA

Slate is the traditional roof of the older Lehigh Valley towns. Bethlehem's design guidelines for the South Side point to rows of fishscale slate as part of the neighborhood's character, and Easton's guidelines call slate the most common historic roofing there.

A slate roof often fails from the bottom up: the slates may still be sound while the nails holding them have rusted through, the flashing has split and the battens or boards have rotted. When slates slide out all over the roof rather than here and there, the honest choice is usually a full replacement: strip, repair the deck, then new or salvaged slate, a synthetic slate, or architectural shingles where that is allowed.

In Bethlehem's three historic and conservation districts the historic boards look for replacement roofing that matches the original's color, pattern, material and texture (Historic District guidelines, South Side guidelines). The South Side guidelines also note that re-securing or replacing individual slates is often cheaper than a whole new roof in another material.

Easton's guidelines say replacing slate with asphalt shingles on a gable or hipped roof is not recommended but may be accepted case by case once the slate or its fasteners are at the end of their life, and they recommend a pre-application meeting first (Easton historic district guidelines).